PITTSBURGH -- The first group of people affected by the Pittsburgh Police Bureau's improper issuing of speeding tickets got their cases dismissed in court on Thursday morning.

Earlier this week, the bureau said it would have to toss about 650 tickets handed out by officers who used the LIDAR system as a standalone detection device. LIDAR must be used in conjunction with VASCAR or ENRADD.

A downtown court hearing for the first handful of people who got those bad tickets lasted about 30 seconds. Their citations and fines were thrown out.

"I'm just happy with the turnout for me today," said Eric Antill, of West Mifflin. "I came down here to get it dismissed and it did, so it worked out."

"I jumped up and kicked my heels actually, because it's a $150 ticket actually," said Charles Massie, of McKees Rocks.

Police Chief Nate Harper said a "miscommunication" led to his officers' use of the LIDAR system.

"Officers were, you know, illegally utilizing equipment that wasn't authorized," Harper said.

The bad tickets were issued between October and April. Each of the citations has "LIDAR" noted on it.

Anyone who got one of the tickets should request a hearing for dismissal. Anyone who paid should contact Harper's office to make arrangements for reimbursement.

Police said it would take at least six weeks for reimbursement checks to arrive in the mail.

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